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Mussel Masala with Coconut, Ginger and Green Chillies

This sumptuous mussel masala recipe from Rick Stein's best-selling Fish & Shellfish cookbook is a real treat for seafood lovers. Combining soft, delicate mussels with fragrant Indian spices, it offers an unusual twist on a shellfish curry. Simple to prepare, this is a perfect dinner party dish.

Introduction

This dish is based on a clam masala from the Keralan Backwaters of southern India, but I’ve used mussels instead as they’re easier to get hold of.

Serves 2-4

Easy

Ingredients

1.5kg

mussels, cleaned

30ml

coconut oil

1 tsp

black mustard seeds

50g

fresh or frozen coconut, grated or blitzed in a food processor

1

small onion, finely chopped

6cm

fresh ginger, finely grated

4

garlic cloves, finely crushed

2

green chillies, seeds removed, thinly sliced

1

handful of fresh curry leaves

1 tsp

fennel seeds

1 tsp

ground black pepper

1 tsp

Garam Masala

1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 tsp

turmeric powder

1 tsp

salt

Instructions

See Rick's brilliant video tutorial on how to clean and prepare mussels for cooking:

Put a splash of water into a large saucepan, add the mussels, cover with a lid and cook over a high heat, shaking the pan every now and again until all the mussels have opened and are cooked: 3–4 minutes.

Heat the coconut oil in a large sturdy pan over a medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds until they start to pop, then stir in the coconut and fry for 1 minute.

Add the onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Add the mussels and their liquor to the pan, followed by the fennel seeds, black pepper, garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Cook for a further 1–2 minutes, then serve.